1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

The first movie that caught my attention, besides whatever Nickelodeon I was watching, was Hitchcock’s Vertigo.  I mainly watched a lot of VHS from the library growing up, like Kenneth Anger, David Lynch. Also, Youtube, I feel lucky that I grew up in a time when I could explore the more obscure stuff out there online. I attended a summer school called NYSSSA in high school that opened up my perspective on what film could be, and we watched a lot of early experimental films there and used a Bolex. 

 2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

The idea came between me and my co-writer, Sophie Mitchell. We love talky movies, like late 80s Woody Allen stuff and also newer films like Alex Ross Perry. We were seeing our friends make a lot of fashion videos and stuff, and thought it would be cool to use that aesthetic to make a statement about young artists. Sorta like if Ingmar Bergman directed HBO’s Girls.

 3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?!

Sorry if this is a cop out but probably the money? Luckily we both work in commercials and have relationships with a lot of talented people in that industry who donated their time.

The easiest part, and maybe the most fun were the days on set. It was 100 degrees in the apartment, and the actors were wearing like wool pants, but they were good sports about it and I think we were all really excited to see the script come to fruition. 

 4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I have watched Robert Altman’s Nashville a million times in quarantine. Right now, the nation is so polarized, and there’s something amazing he does in that movie where it’s a social critique of America in a totally abstract way, so it doesn’t feel dated, or too of a certain time. 

 5) What’s next for you?

I’m working on some different short form content, using a VHS camera. That’s pretty fun because it feels painterly and intuitive. It’s a good break from the heavy technical aspects I think about at work with TV commercials. Also, I’m working on a new script that I plan to produce in the next year!

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IG: @_sam_was_here